This invention relates to a tote bag that has attached to it a decorative and/or functional inflatable pillow. The pillow can be applied to the inside or outside of the tote bag and when inflated may act as a seat cushion or head pillow.
Known in the art are tote bags and carry bags of all description. They are made from a myriad of materials including different types of fabrics such as canvas or nylon, and some are made from plastic materials such as flexible vinyl. Also well known are duffle bags, barrel totes and many others.
Methods for decorating these types of articles would typically be to print on the surface of the products using methods such as screen printing, hand painting, embroidery, vinyl appliques, embossing, heat transfers, foil application and other commonly used methods of embellishment.
These methods of decoration require that the decoration be applied directly to the surface of the article. These decorations are generally only decorations and therefore perform no other useful functions. The article may be decorated on one or both sides.
Also well known in the art are inflatables attached to various fabric products. In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,643 I refer to a slipcover, which slips over a lounge chair, and has an inflatable pillow directly sealed to the slipcover. In addition the slipcover may have handles cut into the open end, and when folded it forms a type of a carry bag. The present invention differs from the ""643 patent in that with the present invention one starts with an existing tote bag, that does not fit over the back of a lounge chair, and affix an inflatable pillow to the bag.
I have previously obtained two U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,079,788 and 5,251,377 for inflatable appliques for clothing and towels and a method for producing those appliques. These patents describe the production of thermoplastic inflatable appliques applied to clothing and fabrics by sealing applique material parts to the fabric material and cutting away the excess. Because many of the materials and techniques described in those patents are also useful in conjunction with the teachings herein disclosed, they are incorporated by reference.
With a carry bag in accordance with the invention a quick, simple, inflatable pillow is formed onto a fabric or plastic tote bag or other type of carry bag. Upon arrival at a sporting event the person will have a handy inflatable sports cushion. The inflatable may be decorative in nature, and can be inflated to form a comfortable seating cushion or head pillow.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow, which can be easily applied to various types of carry bags. Still another object of the invention is to provide a pillow which itself may form an extra pocket on the carry bag. Still another object of the invention is to provide an inflatable cushion for user comfort whether the user be seated or lying down.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow where the perimeter of the pillow can have a variety of decorative shapes. The shape may conform to a product being advertised on the carry bag, or it may conform to the shape of the artwork on the pillow.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow where during the manufacturing process, more than two layers of material can be used to make the pillow, the extra layer being an independently printed layer which is laminated to the top pillow layer for ease of printing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow where the pillow is not sealed to the bag on all sides, but where a shaped portion extends away from the pillow to further enhance the decorative features of the pillow.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow where more than one pillow is attached to the bag for additional pillow comfort such as two pillows back to back on the same bag panel or one each side on opposite panels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel for a carry bag as a permanently attached pillow where the pillow can be attached on the inside or to the outside of the bag.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pre-decorated inflatable panel as a permanently attached pillow for a tote bag, where the tote bag itself is made of a thermoplastic material such as vinyl. Only one layer of material needs be added to the tote bag, because one side of the vinyl bag will form the second air impervious layer to form an inflatable pillow.
These and other objectives are achieved by utilizing various air-impervious flexible thermoplastic materials to form inflatable pillows to adorn the tote bags. Thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, nylon, urethane, rubber and others may be used for the inflatable pillows. However a preferred material is a pinhole-free vinyl or a soft urethane. These materials will generally have a thickness in the range of 0.005xe2x80x3 to 0.020xe2x80x3. R.F. sealing is the most preferred manufacturing method to use to bond the two layers together to form the pillow, although heat, sonic sealing, vulcanizing and other methods may be used.
Urethane is R.F. sealable as is vinyl, and urethane has excellent airtight properties. (Urethane is one of the primary materials used for the air bladders of footballs, soccer balls, basketballs and others.) It is preferable for the vinyl to be xe2x80x9cpinhole freexe2x80x9d, but this is not necessarily essential. (Pinhole free vinyl costs only slightly more than a standard vinyl.) The preferred thickness of the vinyl or urethane will be in the 0.005xe2x80x3 to 0.020xe2x80x3 range. When utilizing vinyl, the thicker the material, the more air impervious it will be. Thus pinhole free material is not necessarily essential for a successful product if the vinyl used is in the thicker range such as more than 0.012xe2x80x3 in thickness. Furthermore, when a pre-printed sheet is laminated to a top layer, an almost perfect airtight barrier is created to reduce the need for a specific pinhole free material.
In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, a first layer of vinyl bearing a decorative printing on one side, will overlay a second vinyl layer which forms the inside of the pillow. The first layer may be a plain vinyl, which is printed, or a vinyl that is reflective, or glows in the dark, or has a holographic image or has some other background of an interesting nature. It may also be a flocked vinyl for a soft feel and appearance. It may also be a vinyl with a cloth laminated to it to give it a fabric-type surface.
With a decorative pillow added to a tote bag, in accordance with the invention, a variety of shapes can be achieved for the pillow. It can be made in an economic manner and made available with attractive appearances including graphics, reflective features, glow materials or other enhancements as may become desirable.
The preferred article onto which to attach an inflatable pillow is a canvas tote bag, a nylon tote bag, or a vinyl tote bag. However other types of bags may be used where applying an inflatable pillow is functional such as large duffel bags, knapsacks, rugsacks and others.
The invention and its particular features will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.